words on walking

Chalk Ball Bagging

I was out and about on the bonny South Downs again yesterday, taking in a sizeable swathe of countryside north of Chichester on my jungle bike. A very fine ride too with many big climbs. Slightly stiff thighs today.

Anyway, I chanced upon another of Mr Goldsworthy’s big chalk balls near Cocking Down. I think I read somewhere that there’s a trail of them. I’m not going to look it up as I’m enjoying just stumbling on them (well, two so far).

This one had a large crack running through it. I don’t know if that might have been caused by weathering or vigilante action by a rogue rambler incensed by his/her encounter with conceptual environmental art, but I’m sure either way Mr Goldsworthy would probably just see it as written into the inherent impermanence of his artworks.

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Last Autumn I made some conceptual environmental art next to a lake in the Aran mountains in Snowdonia. I put a large pebble on a small pebble right by the waters edge and named it ‘fragility of nature’. It’s causing a bit of a storm in the contemporary art world at the moment, just hoping that the fragile landscape can cope with the increased visitor numbers………£50 gets you the grid ref.

I do fancy seeing Mr Goldsworthy’s striding arches though and may pay a visit to the sheepfold thingy he created in the Howgills. Those ramblers with their sledgehammers though are a damn nuicance.

Hello James, there may be only one person who reads my posts, but I’m glad it’s you! Yes, knocking together a few ephemeral environmental artworks while out in the hills always adds a little something to the experience. Where can you get hold of a Swiss army knife with the old sledgehammer attachment?

By the way, James, I’d definitely recommend a tour round the Striding Arches. I didn’t see a soul all day when i did it. Some great views if the weather’s clear, particularly on to Cairnsmore of Carsphairn from Benbrack.

Does that mean that I am your number one fan? Just like in flight of the conchords! There are many many blogs out there about the great outdoors Pete and yours is one of a select few that can write well. My readership seems to be tailing off recently. I think that the best way to get more people to read a blog is to write incessantly about expensive gear. Actually getting out and about just won’t do you know!

I spotted one of the striding arches whilst ascending Moorbrock hill, must have been the one on Benbrack. Must get back to the borders soon especially now that the little people have escaped from school and everywhere gets busy for the next couple of months.

Like yourself, I appreciate proper gear that does the job well when you’re out on the hill etc, but the whole obsessing about kit thing turns me off. There are plenty of sites catering for that side of things, but as you suggest, getting out there amongst it all is the interesting bit.

I remember you mentioning that you’d spotted a Strider in your post and that would indeed be the feller on Benbrack when espied from Moorbrock.

I think the main reason the hills in the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway are so quiet is because of their grandiose near-neighbours in the Lakes and the Highlands. If they were down south they’d be crawling with folk

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About

Peter Edwards grew up in Sussex and nurtured a love of walking amid the ‘blunt, bow-headed, whale-backed’ hills of the South Downs. He has undertaken numerous walking and cycling expeditions in Europe and beyond and is particularly drawn to wild and remote landscapes. Peter moved to Scotland in 2006.